DNA reveals the past and future of coral reefs
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Abstract: Scleractinian corals are among the most diverse holobionts ever studied. Host to a high diversity and abundance of microbial symbionts, their success in colonizing the vast majority of shallow tropical oceans is often credited to their prokaryotic and endosymbiotic algal partners. However, their ocean environment is changing at an unprecedented rate due to global and local anthropogenic stressors. When environmental alterations occur, corals may rely on their microbial partners to help build stress tolerance. While it is well known that microbes play a crucial role in coral health, their contribution to acclimatisation within and across generations is not well understood. This project will examine changes in microbial community composition and function over natural seasonal temperature cycles as well as when exposed to projected future climate conditions in the laboratory. It will also investigate the effects of parental exposure to future climate conditions on the microbial communities found in their offspring. Identifying the circumstances in which microbial community composition and function change, and whether parental exposure affects the microbial composition found in the next generation is crucial to gaining a more complete view on how the coral holobiont will react to a rapidly changing ocean environment.
Bio: I am a PhD student working under Madeleine van Oppen, Philip Munday, Gergely Torda and Neal Cantin. Originally from the United States, my background was in marine science and ecotoxicology. After working in a comparative genomics lab following my studies, I discovered my passion for molecular work and answering ecological questions using molecular tools. For my PhD, I am interested in exploring stress tolerance in corals from a microbial perspective.
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
Partner Research Institutions
